This invention relates to improved pedestal type side frames, useful, for example, in trucks for railway vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to such side frames wherein improved and longer lasting wear protection is obtained.
Wear liners are often provided between the bearing adapter and the roof of the pedestal jaw of a side frame in which a roller bearing assembly is received. Such wear liners act to reduce wear in the pedestal roof caused by oscillating motions of the side frame relative to the wheel and axle assembly. These wear liners are often welded to the pedestal roof. Under heavy duty, e.g., high speed service, these welds tend to fail. When these welds fail, the wear liner may become displaced or even lost, thus resulting in increased and undesirable wear in the pedestal roof. Clearly, it would be advantageous to provide an improved means for securing the wear liner in place.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved pedestal type side frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wear liner for use in a pedestal type side frame.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved pedestal type side frame in which the wear liner is maintained securely in place. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent hereinafter.
An improved pedestal type side frame has now been discovered. Such side frames involve an integrally formed downwardly open jaw which includes a roof and depending legs, which legs have substantially opposed stop lugs. A bearing assembly is received in the jaw. A bearing adapter overlays this bearing assembly and a wear liner is disposed between the roof and adapter to, for example, reduce or eliminate wear on the roof. In one embodiment the present improvement comprises utilizing a wear liner which includes at least two projections, i.e., one pair of projections, extending upwardly from the lateral edges of the wear liner. These projections are positioned so as to cooperate, e.g., be engageable, with at least a portion of the lateral edges of the pedestal roof and thereby inhibit movement of the wear liner, e.g., in the longitudinal direction, relative to the pedestal roof. Preferably, the substantially mutually opposing projections of the wear liner act to provide a spring type retaining means to inhibit the wear liner from moving in the longitudinal direction relative to the pedestal roof.
Many of the embodiments of the present side frame do not require that the wear liner be attached, e.g., welded to the pedestal roof. However, in certain embodiments of the present invention, such attachment provides additional benefits. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the wear liner is attached, preferably welded, to the pedestal roof by attaching, e.g., welding, at least portions of two of the wear liner projections to the pedestal roof. Such attachment is neither directly above nor below the wear surface of the liner and, therefore, has increased resistance to failure.
In a further preferred embodiment, the wear liner includes at least two substantially mutually opposing downwardly depending legs which terminate closely adjacent to the substantially opposed stop lugs. These downwardly depending legs and stop lugs are positioned so as to be capable of cooperating to inhibit the movement of the wear liner, e.g., in the lateral direction, relative to the pedestal roof, for example, in the event of weld failure. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a side frame wherein the wear liner is inhibited from moving in the longitudinal direction by upwardly extending projections and from moving in the lateral direction by downwardly depending legs. In this embodiment, no welding or other means of attaching the wear liner to the pedestal roof is required. However, such attachment techniques may be employed to provide an extra measure wear liner movement prevention.
In general, and except as otherwise provided for herein, the side frame of the present invention may be fabricated from any suitable material or combination of materials of construction. The material of construction used for each component of the present apparatus may be dependent upon the particular application involved. Of course, the side frame should be made of materials which are substantially unaffected, except for normal wear and tear, by the conditions at which the apparatus is normally operated.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals.